Listen to Shirley to Sing the Poem in English Sep 12, 2010Listen to Shirley to Sing the Poem in Chinese August 20, 2006 Listen to Shirley to Explain the Poem & Follow Me to Read ItFollow Shirley to Read the New Words & the Chinese CharatersRead Shirley's Comments about This Poem Sep 12,2010 See Shirley Created Paintings & Calligraphy for the Poem Sep 12,2010
Hi, friends, have you seen any Chinese music instrument? Do you enjoy any Chinese instrumental music?
Today, I would like to introduce a new Chinese classical poem that describes the music by a Chinese instrument --
Sheng Ting Lin Jia Chui Sheng -- Listen to a Neighbour Playing Reed Pipe Wind Instrument by Tang Dynasty（618-907）poet Lang Shiyuan.
With just 28 Chinese characters and 4 lines, it has written out of a very vivid life scene with sounds, pictures and imaginations:
A piece of lovely reed pipe-wind music was coming from the other side of colored clouds, just like a phoenix was singing over there. Being attracted by the beautiful music, the poet went out of his house, for he wanted to make sure which his neighbour is playing it. However, what he has found was that all of the gates in the streets were tightly locked, so that he guessed that maybe the wonderful music was from a fairyland that there are thousand of the flowering peaches in it...
After reading this poem, there are at least three or four pictures have jumped in to my mind:
-- A poet was listening to some beautiful music.
-- A poet was looking for where is the music coming from?
-- All of the gates in the streets are closed tightly.
-- A beautiful fairyland that is full of the wonderful music, peach blossoms, birds and so on...
So, I would really like to create a series paintings to match this poem, anyway, for I am still living in the hospital after an operation. I am at home on the weekend by escaping of the hospital and I have no the physical strength has not support me to stand up to paint. So, I will have to paint later. .
However, I had written a piece of music to match it in August 20, 2006. So, this weekend, I have re-translated it into English and I am going to sing it in English for you...
I do hope that my effort will be some help with you to learn Chinese language and culture.
MAIN MEANING OF THE POEM Listen to a Neighbor Playing Sheng
By Lang Shiyuan (Tang)
A phoenix is singing over the coloured clouds
I wonder which neighbor is playing the lovely music,
All of the gates are locked, I cannot find it.
doubt it's from a fairyland with thousands of the peach flowers.
NEW WORDS AND RONUNCIATION :
Please hit any Chinese character that you need help with, to see its Chinese pinyin, pronunciation, and meaning and follow me to read it.CHINESE CHARACTERS 听邻家吹笙
郎士元 （唐）
凤吹声如隔彩霞，
不知墙外是谁家。
重门深锁无寻处，
疑有碧桃千树花。
If you have any questions, comments and suggestions, please write to
shirley@ebridge.cn or
shirleyz004@yahoo.com. You are welcome to publish your opinions in
Message Board as well.
Shirley Zhang
Written, Sung, Translated & Recorded Sun, August 20, 2006 / September 12, 2010
